John "Johnny" Warren Kendig

In 1943 in Hastings, Nebraska, when children still walked to their neighborhood school and the Great Plains seemed to stretch on forever, a 5 year old boy named John met a girl in his kindergarten class and boldly announced that one day he would marry her. John was right. The girl, Ellen, would become his wife, and the life they made together with their two young children, Jeff and Kathy, carried them far from Nebraska across the American West to Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

John Warren Kendig passed away September 21, 2026, following a long battle with Parkinson’s. He was an American soldier, a lifelong educator, an accomplished athlete, a beloved civic leader, and a man of considerable curiosity, belonging to a generation for whom public service was an obligation, and for whom a person’s word was expected to mean something.

John was born on April 7, 1938 in Hastings, Nebraska, a town shaped by agriculture, music, and education. At Hastings High School, he played the trumpet and tuba in the marching band and competed on the varsity swim team. Perhaps improbably, he became a star on the high school track team after he shattered his femur as a 7 year old, spending an entire year in a cast while recuperating in the hospital. Among his teammates on the mile relay track team was Tom Osborne, who would go on to become one of the most celebrated head coaches in the history of college football at the University of Nebraska. Their relay team set a state record that lasted for 25 years.

Together with Ellen, affectionately called “Fuzzy” by her mom and dad, John served as co-editor of the Tiger Cub, the high school newspaper. He was also an Eagle Scout, an achievement that reflected his commitment to service and self-reliance. After high school, John entered the United States Army while studying at Hastings College and then at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and later a Master’s degree in Educational Administration. He chose teaching as his profession and remained devoted to it for more than thirty-five years.

After moving out West in 1967, he taught fourth graders in Lake Havasu City and Parker Dam, Arizona and in Needles, California. On one occasion, a fourth-grader who came to school suffering from a painful toothache. She was crying—- her family had no money for a dentist. When the school day ended, John took her to a dentist and paid the bill himself. Over the years, there were many such occasions. He bought lunches for students who couldn’t afford them and shared his own food with children who had none. Once while making the familiar drive from Needles to Lake Havasu City, he saw two dogs stranded on the freeway. He stopped his car and ran after them, at considerable risk to his own life. He saved both dogs and took them safely to the local humane shelter. That’s just the kind of man he was.

Lake Havasu City, Arizona offered so much that appealed to John: open water, rugged mountains, boating, sunshine, and an unusual history that he delighted in learning and recounting. He was fascinated by the London Bridge, the nineteenth-century English landmark that had been dismantled, transported across the Atlantic, and reconstructed in the Arizona desert. For over 10 years he volunteered at the visitor information center near the bridge, sharing the story of its remarkable journey with visitors.

He took an active part in civic affairs, serving on the Lake Havasu City Planning and Zoning Commission, holding a term as president of the local Arizona teachers’ association, and served as an Elder in the Presbyterian Church.

His interests were wonderfully varied. He loved classic cars and college football, especially the traditions of the University of Nebraska. He loved animals, travel, history, and trivia. Above all, he loved his family.

John is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Ellen, and their daughter, Kathy. He is also survived by his daughter-in-law Tamera, grandchild Brittany, great grandchild Hailey, nieces and nephews and many wonderful friends! He is preceded in death by his sister and son, Jeff.